Piston ring joint miller



Feb. 13, 1934. J. E. PORTER 1,946,881

PISTON RING JOINT MILLER Original Filed July 13, 1931 2 Sheets-whe'et 1 Original Filed July 13. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nuenTor V (1851 Ym' Tex Patented Feb. 13, 1934 t NT; oi-"rlcs PISTON .RING

JOINT MILLER Jay E. Porter, Muskcgon, Mich.

' Application July 13, 1931, Serial No. 550,349

Renewed July 19,

Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for milling or machining the joints'at the partings in piston rings, the invention' being directed to a practical and eiii ficient machine and method to very expeditiously and in large quantity properly mill and finish the joints in piston rings to within the narrow limits of tolerance which are permitted, thereby reducing the cost of production of piston rings. and

insuring that all will be of a uniform quality,

insofar as the joint at the parting is concerned.

The invention for the attainment of the ends stated may be understood from the following description, taken in connection with the ac- 35 companying drawings, in which, v

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a machine which I have devised for practicing the method.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation of the upper portion of the right hand end of said machine, and

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of and horizontal section through said machine.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

in the construction illustrated in the drawings, a horizontal base 1, preferably of suitable metal, is provided from which two spaced apart integral vertical posts 2 extend, each being formed so at its upper end with a, sleeve 3 having a horizontal axial opening therethrough. The end post or support 2 for the end sleeve or bearing 3 has an integral supporting boss 4 cast therewith at one side, as shown.

u A cylindrical rod- 5 formed at its underside with consecutive rack teeth 6 is slidably mounted through the bearing sleeves 3. At its-inner end 7 it carries a ram or head 7 preferably in the form of a circular disk. 49 A shaft 8 is rotatably mounted on and extends through the boss 4 and is adapted to be rocked by a crank 9 (see Fig. 3) fixed to'one end of the shaft. A pinion 10 is fixed to the shaft directly underneath the rod 5, meshing with the rack teeth 5 6, the boss 4 being recessed between its sides for the reception of-the pinion. It is evident that on moving the crank 9 in one direction, the head 7 will be moved to the right (Figs. 1 and 3) and on moving the crank in the opposite direction the .0 head '7 willbe retracted until it engages against the end of the inner guide sleeve 3. The disk or head '7 at its upper side is provided with a recess 11 the purpose of which will hereafter appear.

At the opposite end of the supporting base 1, I a supporting ring 12, located vertically, is cast at the upper side of which is a vertically extending boss 12a. The ring has a cntral opening therethrough, the axis of which is substantially coincident with the axis of the rod 5, within which a sleeve 13 is adapted to be inserted and detachably held in place by set screws as shown. The sleeve 13 has a central opening therethrough in substantial axial alinement with the rod 5, and said opening is outwardly enlarged and tapered at its inner side making a conical surface 14 which joins with the cylindrical surface of the opening substantially midway between the opposite sides of the sleeve 13.

The boss 12a, previously mentioned, is recessed at its inner side and near its upper end to receive one end of a substantially cylindrical plug 15 which is interiorly bored and threaded to receive the threaded shank 16 of an adjusting screw which passes through the boss 12a at the bottom of said recess, and has a head 17 at its outer end for manually turning the screw to adjust the plug 15 in or out as may be desired.

The projecting inner end of the plug 15 is provided with a vertical opening or passage therethrough through which a vertical rod 18 freely passes. The lower end of the rod 18 is tapered and flattened on opposite sides, as indicated at 18a, integrally joining with a horizontal ring carrying member the form of which is best shown in Fig. 2. That is, the lower part 19 of the ring carrying memberis of semi-cylindrical shape, curved at its underside, from which a rib 20 projects vertically, extending the length of the ring carrying member and having the same width as the lower end of the flattened portion 18a of rod. 18. The outer end of the ring carrying member is tapered at its opposite vertical sides-coming to a point and making a wedge shaped end 21 as shown. This ring carrying member is held in place, by a set screw 22 threaded through the inner end or the plug 15 to bear against a side of the rod 18 (see Fig. 1). It is evident that with the adjustment permitted by the screw 16 and through raising'or lowering the ring carrying member and holding it in any desired place by the set screw 22, the ring supporting member may be shifted to difierent positions within the limits prescribed by the length of the screw 16 and of the rod 18.

At the outer side of the sleeve 13 a milling cutter 23 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 24 Whichmay be driven at high speed in any suitable manner. The plane of the cutter 23 issubstantially .coincident with a vertical plane in which the axis of the rod 18 is located and in which the central longitudinal axis of the ring supporting bar 19 is positioned.

In practice the piston ring castings 25, after they have been rough finished at their outer curved sides and the segment or gap piece cut therefrom at one side, are placed, a quantity oi them, upon the lower part 19 of the ring carrying member, the ends of the rings at their partings lying at opposite sides of the rib 20 and riding upon the shoulders at the upper side of the lower part 19. By operating the handle 9 the head i may be moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 toward and against the rings forcing them through the sleeve 13. The notch or recess 11 in the head '7 previously described permits the passage of the head without interference by the horizontal member of the ring carrier or support. As the rings reach the larger end of the conical surface 14 of the sleeve 13 and as they are moved inwardly, the same close at the parting being permitted to do this by reason of the tapered or wedge-like end 21 of the ring carrier so that when they pass from the ring carrier, the partings in the rings 25 are substantially closed and in this condition are brought to the milling cutter 23 which, as shown in Fig. 3, machines a slight amount of metal from each end of the ring at its parting and finishes the ring parting without the necessity of any further operation on the ring casting so far as the parting is concerned.

It is evident that with. a machine of this kind sleeves 13 having difierent diameters or passages or openings therethrough may be used for different exterior diameters of rings and that the ring carrier may be adjusted vertically therefor; and that it also may be adjusted horizontally so as to properly locate the tapered or wedge-like end 21 with respect to the ring partings so that the rings will readily leave the carrier and will not bind at their ends against the sides of the carrier.

The construction of machine is relatively simple but with the same thering's may be finished and machined at the partings rapidly and quantity production be secured. The apparatus may be considerably modified and'changed as to detail of structure, the essentials thereof and of the method which is carried out best by this machine being thecompression of the rings in access:

Y in alinement, means for forcing the rings to and through said guide sleeve, and a driven cutter mounted adjacent the outer end of said sleeve in E alinement with the partings in said rings operating to finish said rings at said partings as the same are forced to the cutter.

2. In a construction of the class described, a support, a guide sleeve thereon having an out' 5 wardly enlarged and tapered entrance thereto, a ring support mounted adjacent theentrance end of said guide sleeve-comprising, a her having opposite shoulders separated by a projecting guide rib between the shoulders on which a plurality of i parted piston rings may be placed with said guide rib between the partings in the rings, means for forcing all of the rings along said ring carrier into and through the guide sleeve to thereby contract the rings and substantially close the same 1( at the partings therein, and a rotatably mounted cutter mounted adjacent the outer end of the 1 guide sleeve to which the rings are brought in succession, said. cutter being in alinement with the partings in said rings, as and for the purll poses specified.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, said ring carrier at the end thereof nearest the guide sleeve and extending into said guide sleeve at the entrance 11 portion thereof being tapered at both sides and brought to a point, thereby permitting the rings ..to contract as the same are forced into the guide sleeve.

4. Means for finishing piston rings at the part- 11 ings thereof comprising, means for contracting a plurality of rings to substantially close the same at their partings, means for maintaining all of the partings in said rings in alinement, combined with means for machining said rings at l; the closed partings therein, and means to move the machining means and the rings relatively with respect to each other.

5. In-a machine of the class described, a guide sleeve having an outwardly enlarged and tapered l; entrance end for receiving parted piston rings,

-means for forcing the rings to and through said guide sleeve whereby they are contracted to a predetermined size, and means for operating on said rings when they are in their contracted i. position for the purpose described.

JAY E. PORTER. 

